Date: 24 Jun 2018
Winter Flowering Plants
Take advantage of the late season tropicals! Brighten up your winters with spectacular flowers and winter producing fruit trees!
Many Floridians move up North during hot summer months,
our snow-bird season usually starts late September and
ends by Mother's Day in May. Many of our local seasonal
customers planting those flowering and fruiting species
that they can fully enjoy while staying in Florida. Below
you will find a few specials that are in bloom right now.
Check out full list of winter bloomers and
late season plants, and download a PDF chart of the most
interesting tropical plants that will flower and fruit for
you in Fall, Winter and early Spring. Some of them are
ever-blooming, others are late- or early season.
Visit our Garden Center in Ft Myers FL
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Florida winters and gardening
From
Anna Banana, our Garden Center customer advisor.
Cool weather - no sweat. Here in Florida we are
blessed to have warm winters. We just went to the beach
for Christmas! Winter time is not only a good beach time,
but also the best planting time here. Why? I always refer
my customers to Murray Corman's article Tropical Planting Breaks the
Rules. "...Wintertime does not just mean hard work
for tropical gardeners. It is also a time to enjoy the
fruits of our labor. Winter-blooming plants and the
visitors they attract - birds, bats and butterflies - make
the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of
year. Tasks performed during the spring and summer up
north have to be done during the fall and winter here.
Why? The answer is elementary: It's too hot! Taking
advantage of the coolest months of the subtropical year
for heavy chores like planting trees has a twofold
benefit: The gardener can make hay while the sun shines
without getting heat stroke and the plants appreciate the
moderate temperatures, enjoying a break from the stress of
93 degrees in the shade..."
Continue reading...
Winter flowering plants - are a blessing for a tropical gardener. See below what's blooming now! See our recommendations for winter flowering and fruiting plants (PDF)
Date: 24 Jun 2018
How much water?
Q: I have purchased many tropical plants from you throughout the summer and now I need to think about how not to kill them overwintering in my NY apartment. I was told that overwatering can be a big problem for house plants in winter. How much should I water, and how many times per week?
A:
Overwatering in the number one cause of the houseplant
death. But be sure not to underwater, either.
- Don't water on the fixed schedule, get to know
your plant's needs instead. Most plants only need watering
when the top 1/2"of potting mix is try. gently poke your
finger into the soil to test it. Some experience gardeners
go by weight of the pot - a very light pot will have a dry
mix.
- Aim to make the potting mix moist, but not wet.
Most plants hate sitting in soggy potting mix, so always
let excess water drain away.
- Potting mix in terra cotta pots dries out more
quickly than that in plastic or ceramic pots,
because terra cotta is a porous material.
- Most plants need less water in winter because
they are not actively growing and need this period of
winter rest. However some plants are winter bloomers and they may
need regular watering providing bright light to produce
flowers, for example clerodendrums
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Date: 24 Jun 2018
